I can find NO flaw with this amp, From a tube guy of 15 yrs I saw this, found one review and took a chance...Strengths?....The MOST musical amp you will EVER own and true hi end at a pittance

SERIOUSLY over built fifty pounds of TRUE class A power NOT the first few watts class A blah blah blah, dual mono this thing is a BEAST. Instruments sound like instruments , its stupid good and can drive anything you throw at it, Bass is real and instrument separation is top notch. Like most I have spent THOUSANDS more on gear, but im telling you, if you can find one of these its a forever amp, Im dumbfounded!

12 years later still the best amplifier i have own and one of the best i have heard. Paired now with Heco Direkt 2-way loudspeakers.

None with the right loudspeakers.

Cayin 265i.
I wanted to get a valve like sound to suit the more relaxed musical style that I enjoy. I couldn't afford High End stuff and quite by chance came across the name of Cayin (unheard of in the U.K. ). By a fantastic stroke of luck a guy just three miles away was selling a Cayin 265i which of course is not valves ( or tubes if you prefer ) but a pure Class A . It needs a good 20 mins to warm up and after that it just gets better and better.

He offered me the chance to come and audition the amp and I knew right away that this was a big step up from anything that I had owned before ( Arcam and Cyrus ).
I loved it so much that I took it to show a local Musical Fidelity dealer and quite frankly he was so impressed that he couldn't justify the £4000 price tag for his nearest equivalent.
I paid £500 for an amp that sounds as good as one costing £4000.

If you ever get the chance to buy one then don't hesitate. They are just fantastic for the money.

I sold off my separates to downsize somewhat. I have owned alot of very high quality amps and preamps from Levinson, BAT, Plinius, CJ, etc...I can say this, this 40watt Class A amp takes a backseat to none of the ones I mention. Sure if my speakers were really inefficient then maybe so, but this amp drives my Tyler Acoustic D4's very easily. I can go into all the superlatives or ways to describe the sound of this amp but it does everything well. Lots of transparency without being bright, soundstaging front to back and side to side is excellent, air, dynamics, its all there. If your speakers are relatively efficient (88db +) this amp should drive them with no problem. For the money its a no brainer trust me. You WILL like this integrated amp.

I have seen this amp for sale on the web and i fell for the ''pass labs look' of the amp. But i had never heard of Cayin so i started searching for reviews. So i found the reviews posted above me. It looked promissing so i paid the guy 600,- euro three days later the box arrived. What a beauty well build and really heavy i must say. Turning it on: first the volume controle automatically turns itself of (cool) . But the sound, what a sound it shoots the music in to your livingroom even the firts 15 minutes this amp sounds great. But it is a A-class amp so it's getting better and better. I've been listening for an hour now putting cd's in the player hoping they all sound as good as the first one, and they do! I just can't believe what i'm hearing for the kind of money i'd paid for it. I was so impressed that i sold my Marantz cd11le and bought a Cayin cd-17a hoping for the same results. I will review this one later on. But i can tell you it's a real good marriage.

Hi,

I have been experimenting with some old school Sansui gear quite some time and loved their sound. Under a whim and an insurge with a bit of money I decided to listen the Prima Luna Prologue 1 which was great, but lacked in a few areas which I could not describe. I then came back to the same dealer and asked what else he had in the same price bracket and he showed me the Cayin and mentioned that he would recommend that to me over the Prima Luna. So I decided to have a Home Demo and all I can say is wow. I truly fell in love within minutes.

The highs were crisper the lows went lower and I only have MA RS1s and my walls seriously do not stop the bass from thundering through them. My biggest things I noticed that when something hit you, it hit you quickly. No felt time delay. Like when a quiet passage came with a large transient the sound would just hit you as a wall, no longer in waves, but in walls. It went from nothing to there right in your face. I would highly recommend this to anyone. I would highly recommend this to everyone.

I have a friend which has the B&W 805s with Classe CAP2100 and he is mind boggled on the price difference in our setups and the minimal differences. He can't believe that such a big sound is comming from such a small budget.

I am currently awaiting for when funds allow to purchase the new MA RX6s and then I believe the sound would truly outshine my friends setup. I believe after the upgrade, he may downgrade in price and upgrade in performance.

Truly Outstanding.

layers and layers, incredible low end base control. Imaging, yadda, ayadda, yadda. Check them out!!!!
Terminations on the back of the amp are superb.

heavy and awkward to mount in a rack due to weight.. I do wish it had a phono section

Interesting...........I can sell this amp for more than I paid for it?
It would be a foolixh thing to do though.

Do yourself a favou, check these out
Overall rating 5 stars
Value rating? -------for what it cost?.......11***********

Customer Service

Don't know, no problems at all.

Similar Products Used:

Bryston, Perreaux, audio research

Clean, clean clean , open, deep wide soundstage. Vocals and instruments float.

none

Just a follow up to my review. The amp just keeps getting better, cleaner, more open. Get off your duff and go audition this amp. Or if you want, go spend more money for less. Your choice. BTW.I spoke about cables (Chinese) in my last review. I am very happy to say I can now obtain them direct from the manufacturer at a significant savings.

Balls,looks,sound. I could use all the superlatives and adjectives. Those three suffice.

Be prepared to experiment with cabling. One day on Ebay I noticed a pair of high end Bi-wired speaker cables for sale brought back from China and unavailable anywhere here. The askg price was $100.U.S. and no bids. With more money than brains I bought them. I can tell you they are as good as the Cardas golden cross I own, If not better. Why we keep paying huge dollars for gear is beyond me. I have since asked the gentleman who has obliged, to bring back another set for me from China. Stunning in detail, they make me ill when I compare them to cables costing ten to fifteen times as much. On the asthetics side they take a back seat to no other manufacturer.

Where to start? I first noticed this amp on Audio Web. I was looking for a used integrated and had many to choose from, but this amp was advertised with a picture and I had to admit the build quality was what drew my attention. However I was unable to find out much information on the net and precious few reviews. I did find a distributor in Hamilton and made the appointment to audition the amp. I made the trek during a snowstorm ( dedication) and listened and was unimpressed. Looking around the audition room however I was struck by the poor room design. I told the salesperson I wanted to audition the amp in familiar surroundings. Ok by him. Brought it home and was still unimpressed. And yet something about the amp kept drawing me back. Nuances not heard before on my system were revealed. The best way to describe what I was hearing was "clinical" My brother who is even more into the lifestyle came over and brought a few more interconnects and cables than I have and we played switch. We took some of the Kimber interconnects out and brought in some Cardas. Well, what can I say? If you want an integrated with layers and layers, If you want a revealing presentation, If you want an amp that can drive speakers without breaking down and if you want an amp that is gorgeous without breaking the bank and delivers, you want the Cayin 265Ai. I decided to purchse from the distributor rather than purchase the used one from the fellow on Audio Web simply because of the exchange rate the shipping, customs brokerage and duties. I spent a little more but had piece of mind. My system prior to the Cayin consists of the EAD T100 transport, EAD Series III DAC, Classe' CP40 preamp Perreaux PMF2350 amp Focus Signature series 78's and assorted interconnects and cables. The build quality of the Cayin is undisputed. Yes you can pay more but my personal opinion is you are paying more for the name not the sound.

Similar Products Used:

I have mostly been involved with separates and I must say that I've heard a lot of integrateds elsewhere but not one stands out in my mind as being superior. All amps have distinctive characteristeics. Cost wise? Go audition this for yourself. Bring one home and LISTEN. I'm sure you will find it an intriguing amplifier

Build quality Bass Dynamics Detail

None at this price.

Well, this is one fine amplifier. When I first took it out of the box, I was amazed at the overall look and finish. Exceptional. This amp is built like a tank. Weighs 50 lbs...in large part, Im sure, due to the massive heat sinks employed on each side...necessary since this is a Class A amplifier and can get quite hot. I bought this amp unseen/unheard after reading a glowing review on line. After listening to it over the past six months, all I can say is that I am very happy with the performance. Voices jump out and there is a sense of realism in the music that I have never heard before. There have been many occassions where I swear the musicians were in the room playing...especially string instruments. Dynamics are superb and this really shows up when listening to vocals. I immediately noticed details showing up on my CD's that I never knew existed in the recordings. The bass is also outstanding. When I first hooked up the amp with the rest of my system and began listening, it took some time for me to realize that I had failed to connect my subwoofer. And it wasn't from the listening, it was because I saw the cable laying on the floor, disconnected from the sub. Note - the price paid was in Canadian dollars.